Bastián woke to silence.
For one disoriented second, he stayed still beneath the low gray light spilling through the curtains, caught between sleep and instinct. The room smelled like cedar, expensive sheets, fading heat…
And her.
His eyes opened slowly, but the space beside him was empty.
It was faintly warm but empty enough that the absence sticks immediately. The sheets were rumpled, the blankets folded back carefully, and the imprint of another body already fading from the mattress.
Salomé was standing near the far side of the room, already dressed and composed.
The sight of her strangely hit him hard.
She stood with her back half turned toward him, fastening the cuff of a dark sleeve with steady hands while the pale morning light brushed across the sharp line of her jaw. The bl
